Peterson Wealth Services Raises Stake in ConocoPhillips $COP

Key Points

• Peterson Wealth Services dramatically increased its ConocoPhillips stake in the fourth quarter, buying 45,260 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 45,420 shares worth about $4.25 million.
• ConocoPhillips reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.89 versus estimates of $1.72 and revenue of $15.76 billion, though revenue was still down 6.1% from a year earlier.
• The company continues to draw mixed market signals: analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $134.48, but recent insider selling has been substantial, including CEO Ryan Michael Lance selling 506,800 shares.

Peterson Wealth Services lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 28,287.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,420 shares of the energy producer's stock after purchasing an additional 45,260 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips comprises approximately 1.1% of Peterson Wealth Services' holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Peterson Wealth Services' holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $4,252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $888,657.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $685,488.70. This represents a 56.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total value of $64,495,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $869,822.10. The trade was a 98.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 634,715 shares of company stock valued at $81,410,816 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $115.41 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $120.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.41. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $85.57 and a 52-week high of $135.87. The firm has a market cap of $140.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 12.10%.The company had revenue of $15.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. ConocoPhillips's quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Truist Financial set a $128.00 price target on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips joined TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy in an MoU with the Syrian Petroleum Company to explore offshore Block 3 in the Mediterranean, which could create a new long-term exploration opportunity if the project advances. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary on COP remains constructive overall, with some analysts highlighting the company’s resilience and others maintaining upbeat price targets, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside potential over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy stocks broadly have been stronger this year, and the sector ETF’s gains show investors are still favoring oil and gas names despite recent pullbacks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: ConocoPhillips reported solid last quarter results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, which continues to support the investment case even though year-over-year revenue declined.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity has been negative, with a recent director stock sale adding to a pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article framed COP as vulnerable to additional market weakness, reinforcing concerns that the stock could stay tied to crude-price moves if oil sentiment softens further. Article Title

ConocoPhillips Profile

ConocoPhillips NYSE: COP is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company's activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.

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